Lap dance for charity continues at Chicago club

December 11, 2012|By Mick Swasko, @mickswasko | RedEye

A Chicago promotion that Jimmy Fallon last year called “Toys for Ta-Tas” on SNL is back.

Gentleman’s club The Admiral Theatre, which offers patrons a free lap dance in exchange for a children’s toy, will begin offering the promotion again Friday, the third year for the “Lap Dancing for the Needy” toy drive.

Last year, Admiral marketing manager Tim Brown said more than six carloads of kid’s toys were anonymously donated throughout the Albany Park neighborhood, doubling the haul of their inaugural year in 2010. The promotion made waves last year when several local news outlets reported the story, and it later became the subject of a skit on SNL’s "Weekend Update."

“This year, we want to get as much as we possibly can,” Brown said, adding that he hopes the national notoriety the club got last year will increase donations.

He said all donations are made to churches and youth organizations in Albany Park as a surprise. He said the club had received some flak from some organizations in the past because of how the gifts were procured, so anonymous giving has been adopted.

“We’re an organization, we’re a business just like anybody else, I’m not going to apologize for the nature of what we do,” he said. “We're here, we're not going anywhere, we just want the ability to give back like any other organization.”

Gifts last year ranged from dolls to remote control cars and helicopters, and he said the club isn’t about to let patrons take advantage with dollar store toys. All items must be appropriate for children (a Roomba robotic vacuum was rejected last year), and as long as they are sealed, re-gifts are welcome.

“Being a gentleman’s club we have some high rollers, we have guys that come in and spend thousands of dollars a week and they were very generous with us,” he said.

The theater is located at 3940 W. Lawrence Ave., and the drive runs 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Dec. 14 through Dec. 22nd. There is no limit to donations.